Why Are Frogs So Many Different Colors?

Well, this is a good
question to think about. Are all of the people in the world the same
color? Are all of the dogs and cats in the world all one color?
Nope! With that being said, why should we assume that frogs are
all going to be the same color? There are 3000 different types of
species in the frog and toad family and all of them are just a little
different and special in their own way. There can be red, green, blue,
purple, yellow and even metallic-looking frogs and they all have very
distinct markings and are definitely those colors for a reason.

There are several reasons
for all the different colors. A bright color could tell other animals if
the frog is poisonous or not. Some frogs that are not poisonous
have become bright colors too, called ‘mimicry’, in hopes that
predators will mistake them for a poisonous one. Many frogs can change
their colors according to their surroundings (camouflage). Some
frogs, like the Ornate Tree Frog, even come in different colors and
shapes within the same species. A White’s tree frog can even change
his own color depending on where he is sitting. Some frogs have bright
colors just underneath, like the Fire-Bellied toad – so if a predator
bothers it, it will flash the bright color at it and hopefully scare it
away.

So as you can see, there
is not one answer to why we see so many different colors of the frog.
There are many different reasons, and most of them involve clever ways
for the frog not to be eaten.

Our articles are free for you to copy and distribute. Make sure to give www.learnaboutnature.com credit for the article.